The Gap and the Rent

Although Natsu ultimately won the battle against Marcus, the process of the fight cast a small shadow in the hearts of every returning player.

Natsu wore an excited smile, genuinely happy for his companion's tremendous progress.

But when he looked down at his hands, his smile faded slightly.

If that's all there is to it, then the idea of returning to the top guild in the kingdom is a complete joke.

In seven years, their strength remained stagnant, while others were desperately trying to catch up.

Right now, Jiang Bai is probably the only one in the entire guild who still stands firmly at the very top.

Gildarts and the Chairman should still be considered part of the top tier.

As for myself...

"So you've realized that too, Natsu."

Gray walked over at some point, patted him on the shoulder, and his usually displeased face now showed a hint of seriousness.

Natsu responded with an "Ah."

"Yes, in the seven years we disappeared, our strength didn't improve at all."

"No to that kind of thing!"

Upon hearing this, Lucy let out a desperate wail, her entire body turning ashen.

"At this rate, when will we ever be able to get back to number one?!"

"Back to number one?" Happy, hovering in mid-air, tilted his head and said with an air of self-evident certainty.

With Jiang Bai around, it's like having hands to do everything!

"That's right!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes lighting up instantly as if she had grasped at a straw.

"Jiang Bai is still here!"

But her face quickly fell again, and she muttered, "But we can't afford to fall too far behind in our own strength. We can't rely on Jiang Bai for everything."

"This is the first time I've seen Lucy so enthusiastic." Wendy hugged Carla and looked at Lucy, who suddenly seemed full of energy, with some curiosity.

Carla, however, saw through the truth at a glance. In her cool yet slightly helpless tone, she ruthlessly revealed, "That's because she just returned to her apartment and discovered that she owes seven years' worth of rent."

"If the guild doesn't return to number one, and our own strength isn't enough, we won't be able to get any decent quests, and even if we do, we won't be able to complete them."

"At that time, she will be evicted by the old landlady because she can't afford the rent."

As soon as Carla finished speaking, Lucy's face turned bright red, even redder than Erza's hair.

After hearing this, Natsu was stunned for a moment, then pointed at Lucy without any sympathy and burst into laughter.

"Haha! Lucy, you're such an idiot! Don't you even have a penny in savings?"

"Isn't my inability to save money all because of you?!"

Lucy reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristling and roaring at Natsu.

"It's always you, you battle maniac! When you finish a mission, you always end up destroying a whole bunch of things! And that pitiful reward is gone after paying compensation!"

She put her hands on her hips and retorted aggressively, "Besides, if I don't have it, do you?!"

"Yes, I have!"

Natsu's answer was calm and collected, yet it was filled with undeniable confidence.

"What?!" Lucy's jaw nearly dropped to the floor in shock.

"Happy!" Natsu waved his hand triumphantly, issuing the command.

"Let Lucy see for herself our vast savings!"

"No problem!" Happy puffed out his little chest and started taking things out of the green backpack on his back.

As it rummaged around, it solemnly warned, "Don't be surprised if you see it, Lucy!"

Under Lucy's skeptical gaze, Happy heave-hoo pulled a wad of crumpled banknotes from his backpack.

30,000 J.

"How about that? A lot, right!" Happy proudly presented the 30,000 J to Lucy.

"That's enough to buy so many dried fish! Ah!"

"..."

Lucy could feel the veins on her forehead throbbing wildly.

She covered her forehead and let out a groan of utter despair.

"I was such a complete idiot to have any expectations of you two..."

"This isn't even enough for my monthly rent!" she complained weakly.

"By the way, don't you guys need to pay rent?"

"No need," Natsu replied matter-of-factly.

"Happy and I both sleep in tree hollows."

"Hey!" Happy proudly echoed.

Lucy looked at the two clowns and was completely exasperated.

"You two... are really easy to take care of."

"Hey! This isn't a discussion about money!"

Gajeel, who was standing to the side, finally couldn't take it anymore, and his tough face was full of impatience.

"Aren't we discussing how to become stronger?!"

Speaking of getting stronger...

Levy had been quietly staying by Gajeel's side, suddenly had a flash of inspiration, as if she had come up with a brilliant idea.

"Why don't we just ask the strongest person directly?"

"Brother Jiang Bai definitely knows how to get stronger quickly!"

"Yes!"

"As expected of Levy! She's so clever!"

"Let's do it this way!"

As if waking from a dream, everyone instantly found their direction, and the entire guild was once again full of energy.

So, a large group of people prepared to surge towards Jiang Bai's direction.

Before they even set off, everyone discovered that Jiang Bai was nowhere to be seen in the guild today.

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen Jiang Bai much today. Where did he go?" Wendy asked curiously.

"Oh yeah, wasn't he at the guild this morning?" Lucy chimed in.

All eyes immediately focused on Erza.

As one of the people closest to Jiang Bai, she must know where he is.

With so many people staring at her, Erza felt as if her cheeks were on fire by Natsu, burning intensely.

What could she say?

She couldn't very well tell everyone that Jiang Bai had been cooped up on Tenrou Island for seven years, so last night he dragged her and Mirajane... out too late and couldn't get out of bed this morning, which is why he didn't come to the guild at all, could she?

How could I possibly say something like that?!

Helpless, under the watchful eyes of everyone filled with curiosity, this powerful female mage known as the "Titania" did something that shocked everyone.

She suddenly stood up, stiffly turned her body around, and walked away, just like a puppet on a string.

Only one sentence remained, drifting in the wind, a sentence filled with a sense of guilt.

"Go ask Mira."

"I have no idea!"

Erza's retreating figure, which could only be described as a hasty escape, left Natsume and the others looking at each other, completely bewildered.

"What is Erza doing?" Gray scratched his head, completely baffled.

"I don't know, she ran so fast, it was like a monster was chasing her." Natsu was equally puzzled.

Lucy watched the direction Erza had disappeared in, recalling her flushed cheeks and unnatural reaction, and combining this with Bisca's suggestive remarks about "marriage and children," a bold guess instantly formed in her mind.

However, it's best to see through these things but not say anything.

"Ahem," Lucy cleared her throat, forcibly steer the conversation back on track.

"Since Erza told us to ask Miss Mira, let's go ask her!"

Everyone agreed, so this group of inquisitive mages moved their camp and surrounded Mirajane behind the bar.

"Miss Mira!" Lucy, as the representative, spoke first.

"Um... where is Jiang Bai? I haven't seen him all day."

Being stared at by so many people, even Mirajane felt a bit of pressure.

Especially when she heard the name "Jiang Bai," some images that were not suitable to be recalled during the day involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

However, compared to Erza, who was practically about to explode, Mirajane's demeanor was undoubtedly much calmer and more composed.

She simply smiled and explained in her signature, gentle, and soothing voice.

"Ah, Xiao Bai was a little tired last night, he should still be sleeping now."

Tired?

Still sleeping?

This explanation instantly made the surrounding air feel somewhat subtle.

Natsu and Gray, being simple-minded, hadn't even realized what was happening yet, but Lucy and Levy perceptive girls, had already exchanged a knowing look.

"Oh--I see--"

Lucy deliberately dragged out her words, a mischievous smile spreading across her face.

"Mira, you guys are really something, you must have had a tough night last night, right?"

Mirajane's smile remained unchanged, but now it carried a hint of warning.

"Yes, after all, I have to take care of a man who's been holding back for seven years."

The sentence was simple, but it contained so much information that Lucy almost choked on her own saliva.

"Cough cough!"